Birthday Candels
by Reigen Doki
Summary: Gon's birthday is coming up and Killua wants to treat him to dinner.The only problem is that he's not sure how to make it special.Fluff.Lots of it.


**I don't own. Don't bother reading if you have problems with implied boyxboy relationships. Mostly fluffy innocent friendship though.**

-

Killua groaned as he flopped backwards into his seat on a long couch. The white haired ex-assassin had just spent the last four hours with roughly thirty other hunters listening to instructions. He and Gon had shown up at the large building they were now in because an event for hunters was being held. Supposedly, some of the best hunters were invited.

Gon instantly accepted, hoping to run into his father. Naturally, Killua couldn't say no. Upon arrival, they were informed, along with all of the others, that there was a special event going on to test their skills. He hadn't been listening to most of the details as they were droning on about the same things over and over. Also, to Gon's disappointment, Gin was nowhere to be seen. None the less, they agreed to stay. Besides, they had run into Kurapika and Leorio.

That was where he currently was. Gon had run off to get some tea, or something, again he wasn't listening too closely. Kurapika and Leorio were sitting across from him, catching up on the current events in each other's lives. He was just too tired to care. Anyways, he had a distinct feeling he was being watched, but couldn't pin it down to just who was doing it. He was about to shrug it off to continuous eyes from several different groups when a cold shiver ran down his back.

"Well, well. Fancy meeting you here."

Every instinct told him to run far away. Kurapika looked at the person behind him with loathing. Leorio's look was disgust. There was only one person who could get this reaction out of all three of them.

"What are you doing here Hisoka?"

The unusual red-head pouted, flopping backwards over the couch to lay upside down next to where he sat.

"Really now. How rude. I was invited as well."

"Go away."

"Tut tut. I don't think Gon would be so rude…"The look in his eyes changed mischievously "Speaking of, where is he?"

"None of your business."

Kurapika and Leorio watched the exchange silently, a little surprised as the ease in which the two conversed, despite the sour note between them.

"Oh. What a shame. I was going to wish him a happy birthday, incase I don't see him then."

Killua's head shot up and he looked directly at Hisoka, who immediately noticed the change in attitude.

"Don't tell me you didn't know. At the very least you should have found it on the hunter's site."

"When is it?"

"Why should I tell you?" The magician maturely stuck his tongue out.

"You really don't know?"

Killua looked in shock at Kurapika, who seemed genuinely surprised. Even Leorio was giving him a disapproving look.

"You too? How do you know?"

"The hunter site, like him." Kurapika admitted.

"I asked Mito-san when I visited her." Leorio answered smugly.

Killua hung his head in defeat. Apparently he wasn't a very good friend. He had told Gon his birthday, but never bothered to ask in return. Apparently they all knew what they were getting him too. He only had two days to plan.

Frustrated he stormed off, leaving the two traitors to fend for themselves with Hisoka. He spotted Gon, distracted from his mission for tea by the amazing view. Indeed, the sheer cliff faces and jagged rocks that were visible from the center were a spectacular array of varying red and orange hues. Killua figured he knew exactly what he would do for his best friend's birthday.

"Hey! Gon!"

"Oh! Hey Killua! It's so pretty here!"

Killua nodded, taking a moment to enjoy the scenery with him before deciding he might as well just say it.

"How about I treat you to dinner Saturday?"

"Hu?" Gon looked at him blankly.

"You know, your birthday. Something special." Killua scratched nervously at the back of his neck, unsure if Gon would like the idea.

"You mean like a date?" There was the slightest hint of suspicion in his voice.

"No!" Killua looked at him in shock, surprised by his question. "Not like that, just hanging out. You know!"

Gon shrugged, suddenly looking melancholy. "No, that's okay. I don't really like making a big deal of my birthday."

With that he ran off, leaving a very confused ex-assassin in his wake. He headed back into the commons to find Kurapika and Leorio still talking civilly to Hisoka. Confused, he plopped down on the couch, not sure what he should do.

"What's wrong?" He looked up into Kurapika's concerned face.

"I'm confused. I offered to treat Gon to a special dinner for his birthday, and he refused."

"What's weird about that?"

He glanced over at Leorio. "That isn't the weird part. He asked me if it was a date and when I said no, he seemed upset."

"Maybe he likes you," Hisoka offered diplomatically, ignoring the glare he received.

"Don't you two go out to dinner often?" Kurapika mentioned with a light frown.

"Yeah which is why I'm so confused that he would think it was a date."

"Maybe it's because you do go out often. He figured since it was special, it had to be something like that." Leorio sat with his chin in his hand, ignoring the pointed look Killua gave him.

"Well how was I supposed to know? Gah! This it too much." He buried his head in his hands, scrubbing vigorously at his hair.

The rest of the day he spent wandering around, wondering just what he was going to do about Gon. Now he had no idea what to do for his birthday, and he had upset him by implying he didn't actually want the dinner to be special. He knew he could just suck it up and go on a 'date' with him, but he kept facing two problems with that.

One, guys weren't supposed to date guys. Even if it wasn't really a date. And it was just a birthday gift for his best friend. Even if he didn't care what people thought of him.

Two, perhaps the greatest hurtle for him, he'd still never been on a date. He didn't have the first clue what to do. He didn't even know how to ask someone out. Worse yet, what if it didn't measure up to the other dates Gon had been on? Sure, none of them were serious, and neither was this. And sure, just the thought he put into it would probably please his simple friend, but he could never live it down if he had any reason to doubt.

Defeated, he ran off to find Gon, and just ask him. Kurapika had told him that if he had no clue, he could just ask Gon, and that would resolve everything. Ask him what he wanted. Ask him on a date. Ask him whatever he needed to, to set things right.

-

It was getting dark, and Killua found Gon wandering in one of the empty hallways. He caught sight of the white haired boy and waved as if nothing had happened. It was now or never.

"H-hey. Gon."

"Yeah?"

"W-wou-that is, I was wondering i-if…um, can I t-take you o-o-out, um, for your birthday? Onadate?" The whole sentence was said rapidly, the last part compressed even further into one word.

Gon sat, sorting through the rushed question for a moment, deciphering it, before his eyes lit up.

"Really?!!!? That would be great!"

"I'm glad to hear it." Killua looked away blushing, and wanting to sigh in relief.

"I'm going to go tell Leorio!"

"No!" He shouted after the already disappearing form, "That really…isn't…necessary…"

Gon was well out of sight by the time he finished his statement. Just his luck, he was going to be a laughing stock for his botched birthday date.

"This is a disaster!" He threw his head back with a groan.

"Kukuku. I think it went rather nicely. Though I'll admit I never took you for shy."

Killua jumped in surprise, glaring at Hisoka, who had snuck up on him.

"That isn't the disaster."

"Oooh. Do tell."

"I've never been on a date before." He refused to meet the magician's eyes.

"Is that so? Well, let me help you. I'll tell you what's supposed to happen on a date."

It didn't take long for Killua to run away from that conversation. It seemed the red-head was less interested in what happen during the actual date than after. The white haired hunter had a feeling he really didn't want to hear the rest of that conversation. He found himself hiding behind a plant, panting nervously, and glancing around.

"So you're going on a date."

He was sure his eye was twitching.

"Have you ever even been on one before?"

"No Leorio. It isn't really any of your concern though."

"Need some advice?"

Instantly his previous conversation came to mind, and he shuddered. "That depends."

"Take him somewhere nice, and expensive."

Killua glanced up, all suspicion gone. He sat silently and listened to the rest of the soon to be doctor's advice. When he left, he felt a little more confident, but something still seemed missing. Walking back to his room, he bumped into the fair-haired hunter.

"Oh. Hey Kurapika."

"So you actually are going on a date with him."

Definitely a twitch.

"Geeze, why doesn't he just post it on the hunter site for everyone to know?"

"I wouldn't give him that idea if I were you."

"…what do you want?"

"To give you some advice. You don't really seem the romantic type."

The flat look he gave him implied that it was a no-brainer. Kurapika shrugged and continued.

"It may not be a romantic date, but you need the aspect. Make it memorable and fun."

Slightly less cross, Killua readily accepted the knowledge Kurapika had to offer. By the end of the lecture, he felt much more confident that he could give Gon a memorable birthday gift. When he entered their room, Gon was sitting up on his bed, cleaning his fishing hooks and mending the pole. He had started to put scrapes in the varnish, and wanted to make sure it stayed in top condition.

With a quick goodnight, the both drifted off to sleep, anxious but pleased. Killua couldn't help but cast one last glance at Gon before he let himself drift off. He just hope that he knew what he was going through to make his birthday special.

-

Two days of planning, on top of the special event, left Killua too anxious to be tired. Gon seemed to put it out of his mind, save for the happy glances he would throw in his direction. That wasn't too unusual in and of itself though. Gon was always happy.

Finally it was time for their 'date' and Killua was practically shaking. He'd never felt so nervous before doing something. Not before a particularly difficult assassination, or a tough fight, or even facing Mito or Bisque. His heart was thundering.

Leorio was helping him get ready. Most of the time was spent fixing the tie he had spent forever struggling to not wear. When he finally gave in, he discovered he really hadn't had much practice with ties, but didn't want to ask for assistance. When he accepted that, he fought every urge to wipe the smirk of Leorio's face.

"Eh. Pops. Is it finally straight?"

Leorio flinched at the term of endearment, but straightened the tie all the same.

"Are you leaving your hair like that?"

"Yeah. Why? Is there something wrong with it?"

The older hunter just shook his head, not wanting to make a project out of the silver-white locks. He didn't have that much time anyway.

In Kurapika's room, Gon was receiving similar treatment. The lone survivor of the Kurata clan didn't even try to broach the subject of his hair though. When he discovered that, even after brushing it down, it sprung right back, he gave up. Gon was far easier to get to go along with the dress code though. He simply agreed with the flaxen haired hunter.

A sharp knock on the door told Kurapika that Leorio was finished. He answered the door to see him wink and walk off. With a light shove he told Gon to go have fun, and wished him a happy birthday.

At the main entrance, Killua stood nervously fiddling with the flower in his hand. He spotted Gon as he walked towards him, a look of pure innocence on his face. Flushed, he handed the flower to him. It was a simple white tiger lily, but Gon happily placed it in his breast pocket.

"It reminds me of you."

"Hu?"

"The lily. It kind of reminds me of you."

Killua rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, but he was secretly pleased that Gon would put something that reminded him of him so close to his heart. With imitation gruffness, he lead Gon by the hand off on his special birthday date.

"We aren't seriously leaving it at that, are we?"

Kurapika and Leorio both exchanged a glance before shaking their heads no in response to Hisoka's question. Silently, they slipped of after the two, intent on seeing just how it would go.

The restaurant Killua chose was on the roof of a tall building. Their table looked out over the cliffs and rock face, and into the sea. For only having two days, he had planned everything with great precision and timing. For most of dinner they chatted happily. They talked about small things, like what they liked, what they didn't, and why. It was simple things you wouldn't normally think to talk about with a friends, but things they had never really spoken about all the same.

He had never known Gon's favorite color, and it had never occurred to him to tell his best friend the kind of music he listened to. It was refreshing, not talking about hunting. He learned things he never knew he never knew.

With a smirk, over dessert, he turned his friends attention to the window. The sun was setting over the ocean, turning the red stone a kaleidoscope of purples and the sky was painted to match. Killua couldn't help but smile at the beautiful colors reflected in his wide eyes. Gon was clearly bewildered by the delightful sight. With a laugh, Killua paid and got up to go, dragging Gon away from the window.

Ignoring the butterflies in his stomach, he lead Gon to the edge of a cliff, and started to climb down gently, warning Gon not to get his clothes too dirty. Somewhere Leorio was crying for their suits. About half way down, they entered a small cave. The deeper they went in, the darker it got.

"Where are we?"

"Just wait. You'll see."

Just then it opened up into a large cavern. Glowing worms lined the walls and ceiling, clinging together in the dark like their own private stars. At the center of the cavern, a large pond reflected the light, shining a brilliant bluish-white. Tiger lilies and red columbines grew in mass around the pond. Gon ran forward, taking Killua by the hand, to the edge of the water.

"Wow!"

"Yeah. Wow."

Gon smiled at him, genuinely surprised by the unexpected gift. Bending down, he plucked a columbine from its stock and placed it in Killua's pocket.

"It reminds me of you," Killua smirked, straightening the red flower.

Gon wrapped his arms around him in a tight, fierce hug. The white haired hunter was surprised at the tender, but determined force in his hug. Even more surprising was the tears that came after. They were so soft. It took the wetness on his shoulder to alert him to their presence. He placed his hands on the dark haired boy's back, who was now shaking.

"A-are you okay? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no," he started to laugh, "It's just that no one has ever done anything like this for me."

It surprised him. He had never even thought that Gon was ever dissatisfied with being the one who brought a smile to other's faces. It had always seemed to make him so happy. And he could see why. When Gon smiled that genuinely surprised, happy smile, he just had to smile too. He realized it wasn't fair that he never put any effort into making him happy, aside from trying not to upset him. It was certainly something he hope to do again, though maybe not under the pretense of a date.

-

They returned to the hotel where the special event was being held laughing. Killua was pleased with himself, and how the night went. Again he started to feel nervous and drew up short from the doors, prompting his friend to turn around and stare at him.

"Something wrong."

Though he was sure, rightly, that the three were watching them from inside, he knew he was going to have to go through with it. He decided on the whole deal before hand, and wasn't backing out now.

"I had fun."

"Me too."

"Um. There's one more thing…"

"Oh? What?"

"Well, you know how this is the first date I've ever been on," he started nervously, "I had no clue what I was supposed to do."

"It was great," Gon interrupted.

"Let me finish." He took a deep breath to calm himself. "The thing is, I ended up getting some advice on it from Kurapika and Leorio, and sort of from Hisoka. But everything he said seemed to be more focused on what should happen, latter. I don't ever want to repeat it. I'm still convinced I'm a hundred years too young to hear it…"

Inside Kurapika and Leorio gave Hisoka a disgusted look, but he shrugged it off, intent on watching the scene unfold.

"Leorio told me to make it fancy, and high class, and all that. But he never really told me how."

It was their turn to look at Leorio, who was unashamed of his fixation on material things.

"Kurapika told me to make it romantic, and memorable, and stuff like that. He didn't really explain how to me either."

Kurapika smugly accepted the calculating looks they both gave him.

"I didn't really have much to go on. But one detail they all agreed on, with perfect clarity."

"What?" Gon's words mimicked all their thoughts, though the two were still unaware, save for Killua's unspoken suspicion, they were being watched.

"It's embarrassing, really, because I've never done that before either. But they all seemed convinced that this was how I was supposed to end our 'date', so…" He trailed off as he stepped closer to Gon.

His heart was so loud in his ears he almost missed Gon whisper "what" again. Cautiously, he leaned forward, and brought their lips together. In side the three were nearly dieing containing their laughter. Killua pulled back quickly, the tips of his ears a soft pink.

"Ah. That was a first for me to. Why did you do that?"

Killua flushed an angry red, realizing they had made a fool of him anyway.

"I'm going to kill them."

"I won't let you." Gon's voice was teasing, but serious.

"I wasn't seriously going to kill them…"

"I know, but I wouldn't let you anyway."

"Why?"

"Thanks to them, I had a really special night. I have to thank them before you can kill them."

Killua smirked, momentarily forgetting his anger, and embarrassment. They entered the building, and headed straight over to the couches that their three 'companions' were occupying. Being the boldest, Hisoka didn't hesitated to meet Killua's bloodthirsty glare.

"It was too cute no to. " And that was all the explanation he got.

That night he lay awake, thinking about the first date he had ever been on. Glancing at his friend, over in his own bed, he couldn't help but think _Maybe it wasn't a complete disaster after all_. He rolled over on his side, facing Gon's bed and closed his eyes.

"Happy Birthday," he whispered.

"Thanks to you," a voice answered back from the other bed.

-

**Hope you enjoyed the fluff. Some themes might not make perfect sense if you haven't read the manga, but really, I figured it would be fine. You can view this as innocent friendship stuff, or a pre-relationship fluff.**


End file.
